Jessica Rains Movies

Somehow the entire population of the Earth has been obliterated, leaving the buildings standing and the preserved food intact. The environment seems to be OK, too. From the emptiness of the planet emerges Alan (David Arnott), a nebbishy anthropology graduate student who is coming to terms with his fate as the last man on Earth -- until he discovers Sarah (Jeri Ryan), a beautiful, intelligent woman who can't stand the idea that neurotic, portly Alan is the last man she'll ever be near. They make an encampment in a desert and begin their lives together -- him, delirious; her reluctant -- until they encounter Raphael (Dan Montgomery) hitchhiking along the road. Raphael, although a bit dim, is tall, handsome and fun-loving, and Alan finds that he has to change in order to compete for Sarah's affection, or spend his life without a woman. But nature is full of surprises. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi

This dreary direct-to-video effort is set in a home for juvenile delinquents which is haunted by the ghost of a malevolent sorcerer who inhabits the body of his own son (Anthony Jenkins) and draws on the boy's life force in order to secure his own immortality. The possessed teen wreaks havoc with his fellow residents with his telekinetic powers, triggering some grisly accidents and making life even more difficult for the troubled kids. The script presents some interesting variations on the demonic-possession scenario, but could have used some serious tightening -- as indicated by the filmmakers' tendency to fill plot holes with standard slasher-style mayhem. Enlivened by some well-done special effects, but not enough to keep fingers off the fast-forward button. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

This for Remembrance, the autobiography of popular singer Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), was the source for this made-for-TV biopic. Played herein by Sondra Locke, the Kentucky-born Clooney begins her career as one-half of a musical act with her sister Betty (Penelope Milford), performing at the election rallies of her politician uncle (John Karlen). Achieving radio popularity in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rosemary goes on to enjoy nationwide fame in the 1950s with such hit recordings as "Come On A' My House", "Tenderly" and "Hey There". Though her success in movies is negligible (White Christmas notwithstanding), she makes a huge impact on television, hosting several of her own weekly series. All the while, however, Rosemary's private life is in turmoil, due in great part to a tempestuous marriage to actor-director Jose Ferrer (played by, of all people, Tony Orlando). After the assassination of her great friend Robert Kennedy in 1968, Rosemary suffers a nervous breakdown, and it is many years before she is able to make a triumphant comeback on the concert trail. Rosemary Clooney herself serves as the singing voice of Sondra Locke, and also dubs in the tunes performed by the actress playing sister Betty. Had Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story aired on CBS a decade or so after its original telecast on December 18, 1982, mention might have been made of the subsequent success of Clooney's actor son Miguel Ferrer and her TV-star nephew George Clooney; there might even have been a re-enactment of Rosemary's third marriage, capriciously staged at a White Castle restaurant in Cincinnati. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This true-life TV movie stars Glenda Jackson as Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal and Anthony Page as her author husband Roald Dahl. In 1964, Neal is felled by a stroke, which endangers not only her life but the life of her unborn child. Both survive, but it looks as though Neal will never be able to speak coherently again. Dahl bullies, cajoles and caresses his wife into recovery; she rallies under this treatment and is finally able to resume her career and lead a normal life. The film does not touch upon the serious domestic problems which would lead to Neal and Dahl's later divorce, nor does it dwell on the "dark side" of the notoriously mercurial Mr. Dahl. Nonetheless, both Neal and Dahl felt that the book upon which Patricia Neal Story was based, (Barry Farrell's Pat and Ronald) was far too revelatory for their tastes. They severed their longtime friendship with author Farrell and never spoke to him again; nor did they have anything to say publicly about The Patricia Neal Story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After a parade of top-heavy blockbusters (Papillon, Nicholas and Alexandra), director Franklin J. Schaffner retreats, like the Hemingway character of the film, to peaceful tropical serenity in Islands in the Stream (based on Ernest Hemingway's posthumously published novel). George C. Scott plays the rich, but world-weary writer Thomas Hudson, living on Bimini in the Bahamas, where he carouses, drinks, and fishes to his heart's content. Invading Hudson's paradise is a parade of the sons of his ex-wives. His oldest son Tom (Hart Bochner) succeeds in getting closer to his father, but the bonding comes to a halt as ripples from the encroaching conflagration of World War II intrude upon Hudson's retreat. Tom leaves the island to fight for the RAF. Then, one day, Hudson receives a visit from his ex-wife Audrey (Claire Bloom), who tells him that Tom has died in the war. Rejecting his insulated existence, Hudson decides to make a stand by agreeing to smuggle a group of Jewish refugees onto the island. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Filmed as the 72-minute pilot episode for the weekly ABC adventure series, The Feather and Father Gang, Never Con a Killer was held back from view until May 13, 1977, by which time the series proper had already been on for two months...and had already been canceled. Stefanie Powers and Harold Gould star as gorgeous attorney, Toni "Feather" Danton, and Toni's reformed con man father, Harry Danton. Figuring that the best way to catch a crook is to think like a crook, Toni and her dad concoct an elaborate sting operation to bring dishonest horseplayer E. J. Valerian (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to justice. False identities, clever disguises and deft "switches" are the order of the day in this pleasant trifle, which when it was shown on ABC was not advertised as a movie, but instead as just another Feather and Father Gang episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John (Randolph Mantooth) takes it personally when a shortage of equipment results in the death of a heart attack victim. Elsewhere, Roy (Kevin Tighe) is injured in a fire at a fireworks factory, and Chet (Tim Donnelly) likewise sustains injuries in an explosion. Also, the team is pestered by an amateur firefighter; a young patient shows symptoms of polio; and a tree surgeon requires a quick rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV The Class of 63 is set at a ten-year college reunion. Joan Hackett and Cliff Gorman play a married couple who eagerly anticipate meeting old friends at the event. But Gorman's festive spirit dissipates when Hackett's old boy friend James Brolin makes an appearance. In fact, Gorman harbors dreams of eliminating Brolin for keeps. First telecast March 14, 1973, Class of '63 was filmed on location at Princeton University and USC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In 1973, health-food store owner Miles Monroe (Woody Allen) enters the hospital for a routine gall bladder operation. When he expires on the operating table, Miles' sister requests permission to cryogenically freeze her brother's body. After 200 years, Miles is unwrapped by a group of scientists and awakens to a "brave new world" of deadening conformity, ruled with an iron fist by a never-seen leader. Miles is forced to flee for his life when the scientists -- actually a group of revolutionary activists -- are overpowered by the leader's police. He eludes the cops by pretending to be an android, and in this guise is sent to work at the home of Luna (Diane Keaton), a composer of greeting cards who thinks that the world of the future is perfect as it stands. There's more, but why spoil your fun? Sleeper is the most visual of Woody Allen's earlier films, and demonstrated a more pronounced rapport between Allen and his off- and onscreen leading lady Diane Keaton than had previously existed. The Dixieland score is performed by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The emegency staff of Rampart Hospital swings into the second season of Emergency! as a radio malfunction forces paramedic Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) to perform emergency surgery without medical supervision on a man trapped under his car. When the patient subsequently dies, DeSoto is mercilessly reprimanded by the victim's personal doctor (Lloyd Bochner)--and for a while, it looks as if Roy will drop out of the paramedic program entirely. Elsewhere, a bull gores a cyclist, a child is trapped I a fire, and a visiting surgeon suffers a heart attack. Michael Norell makes his first series appearance as Captain Hank Stanley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This gag-filled movie makes a stab at examining the women's liberation movement but never quite gets there. The effects of the movement are shown through a series of comic and romantic episodes between men and women. The story is loosely tied together as the research of Sheila Hammond (Jacqueline Bisset), a fashion magazine editor who is preparing an article on women's liberation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi